Valiant Effort

Second ranked Crater put forth a valiant effort but fell short of a state championship in a 1-5 loss to top-ranked Churchill on Saturday. Crater was limited to an uncharacteristically-low four hits. Though the loss is painful, the fact remains that this team is one of only four Crater teams in the last fifty years to make it to the finals. Congratulations on a great season! For the full story, visit the Mail Tribune by clicking here.

State Championship Bound

Crater Baseball is heading to Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer to play for the 5A State Championship on Saturday (June 3) after dispatching a tough Crescent Valley team 9 to 5 at Anhorn Field. Larsen Kindreich pitched 5 1/3 innings and homered for Crater, Sebasten Boivin closed on the mound, and Jace Godley and Jake Cartwright each contributed multiple hits. Crater will play #1 Churchill on Saturday, which beat #5 Wilsonville 5-4 in 11 innings. Game time and other details will be announced.

On to Semi-Finals

Crater advances to the semi-finals by virtue of their 4-1 victory over #7 Putnam. Jace Godley had three RBIs on a triple and a single to pace Crater. Sebasten Boivin pitched five shut-out innings before giving way to Larsen Kindreich. Kindreich pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the victory. Crater will face #3 Crescent Valley at Anhorn Field next Tuesday, May 30th. For more on Friday’s game, visit the Mail Tribune by clicking here.

Crater Advances

Crater advances to the 2nd round of the playoffs by beating Hillsboro 21-1. The team will play Putnam at Anhorn Field on Friday (May 26th). Game time is expected to be 4:30. Putnam finished the regular season ranked 7th with a 20-6 record. They beat Corvallis in the first round.

Against Hillsboro, Sebasten Boivin and Jake Cartwright each hit homeruns, and Larson Kindreich struck out ten hitters in 3 2/3 innings of perfect baseball before being lifted for string of relievers.

All-Conference

Congrats to Larson Kindreich, Sean Bartlett, Sebasten Boiven, Nick Bastendorff, Jace Godley, and Jake Ireland on being named Midwestern League First Team All-Conference, as well as to Jake Cartwright and Shay Hall for being named second-team and honorable mention respectively. Head coach Jay Campbell not only picked up his 200th career victory this season, he was also named co-Coach-of-the-Year.

Playoff Schedule

Crater will host Hillsboro in the first round of the playoffs on Wednesday, May 24th at Anhorn Field. Gametime has yet to be determined but is expected to be 4:30. Hillsboro finished the season 13-13 and made it into the first round by beating Ashland in a play-in game. OSAA rules require ticket sales to playoff games. Adults will be charged $6 and students $4. For more information about the playoff bracket, visit OSAA.org.

Back2Back League Champions

By virtue of its doubleheader sweep of Eagle Point on Friday, Crater Baseball earned a share of the Midwestern League conference title. The team finished the season 22-4 overall and 18-3 in league. For complete details, see the story on the Mail Tribune by clicking here.

Crater will play Henley in a tune-up game on Wednesday, May 17th, before beginning the first round of the playoffs on the 24th. By virtue of the #2 ranking in the RPI, Crater is assured home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Middle School Baseball

Crater Baseball’s Middle School Baseball program will hold tryouts on Sunday, February 26th, at 1:00 p.m. at Anhorn Field. We expect to field three teams this year, one seventh grade team and two eighth grade teams. The cost to participate is $300, and we plan on scheduling between 30 and 40 games. For tryouts, prospective players should wear athletic pants (baseball, shorts, or sweats) and bring a glove. If the players has a favorite bat and cleats, that’s a bonus, but families should not purchase such items until the player is formally placed on a team. For more information email Jay.Campbell@district6.org. Also, Crater Baseball’s senior class is planning a baseball clinic for players between the ages of 10 and 14. It’s tentatively scheduled for Saturday, February 25th, at Anhorn. More info to follow.